Odessa

The Ukrainian Border Service reports that Russian troops have entered the Kyiv region.

The Russian Ministry of Defense did not comment on the information.

Russia has launched a full-scale air and ground operation against Ukraine. A series of explosions shook a number of cities in all parts of the country at 5 a.m. this morning, and then Russian troops invaded Ukraine from three sides - the borders with Belarus and the border with Russia and the annexed Crimean peninsula.

Turkish Airlines canceled all Ukraine flights as of Feb. 24 after Ukraine closed its air space to civilian flights following Russian military operation. 

Turkish Airlines had been operating flights to six points in Ukraine - Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Lviv, Odessa, Zaporizhia.

Russia is attacking Ukraine - its troops have crossed our northern borders, journalist Yuriy Butusov was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN.

"Military sites across the country have been attacked, primarily parts of the (Ukrainian) air defense and control systems," he wrote.

"Ukraine's armed forces are resisting," Butusov added.

Powerful explosions were heard this morning in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, the southern city of Odessa and the eastern cities of Mariupol and Kramatorsk after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation against the country, AFP reporters at the scene said.

Invasion of Ukraine: Putin Decided to Conduct "Special Operation to Protect Donbas"

German airline Lufthansa has announced that it will suspend flights to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv from tomorrow due to growing fears of a Russian invasion.

The airline said it would also suspend flights to Odessa, a key Black Sea port.

"The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority at all times," Lufthansa said.

Separatist forces and the Ukrainian military accuse each other of violating the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

Bulgarian PM signed with Zelensky a Declaration of Support for Ukraine and Met with Boris Johnson

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, facing a sharp spike in violence in and around territory held by Russia-backed rebels and increasingly dire warnings that Russia plans to invade, on Saturday called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him and seek resolution to the crisis.

This was stated by the Deputy Chief of the People's Militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), Eduard Basurin.
"According to our information, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are carrying out activities that we consider preparations for offensive operations," Basurin wrote on the Telegram channel of the DNR militia.

Before the Russian Revolution, Odessa was a kind of New Orleans on the Black Sea - a duty-free haven with a thriving black market and teeming port-side taverns, where you could hear a variety of musical styles: Greek, Roma, Armenian, Georgian. It was famous for its distinctive mélange. It also had a large Jewish community - bankers, workers and Jewish gangsters all lived there.